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But I want to eat out! :(

Sea_Star

Sea_Star

Those on the SCD/Paleo/etc diet: do you see a trade-off?

If you take 6MP or another Crohn's medication-wouldn't that protect your system and you could eat whatever you want..since it bars any inflammatory response??

Orrr with the LDN and SCD, do you seriously have to avoid having any restaurant food? I love eating out, and I'm 25...and I fear the day that I have my first date (yes, like Drew Barrymoor in Never Been Kissed lol) I'd be on SCD...and a.) I can have a "cheat day" once in awhile messing everything up or b.)...since the bad bacteria would be died-out, the food will cause a reaction that it normally hasn't for the past 20+ years!

Hm, cancer-risk vs. not being able to have fun food :(

this better make me healthier!!
 
P

Poppysocks

I eat at Cracker Barrell all the time, and like Hugh said, go to steak houses and seafood restaurants as treats on special occasions.

Cracker Barrell has the most amazing green beans. They cook them in bacon grease and onions. They also have grilled chicken tenderloins and sirloin and ribeye steak. The chicken is marinated just a little bit in Italian dressing, honey, and lime juice (I know because I've looked up the recipe). It hasn't bothered me so far, not once actually, so I continue to engulf them.

I literally just order the chicken tenderloin dinner with all green beans or the sirloin with all green beans. This has helped me because cooking every single meal is a burden for me so I don't mind paying a little extra for the takeout.
 
K

k_stewart

I know what you mean about restaurants. It's tough. I've been going to the same breakfast place for years and they are good to me (it's a mom and pop type diner). I ask them for strange stuff all the time and they look after me as best they can. I order the burger patty (100% sirloin) and poached eggs for breakfast or the burger and salad. The toughest thing is they don't know how much to charge. They let me bring in my own avocado which I eat with the eggs and burger- delicious!

If you have a place where you are known, it makes the inevitable conversations easier and the are more likely to look after you. Be sure to leave a good tip!
 
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I

Ice

Steakhouses or similar or just places that offer variety, asking for burgers done 'protein style', getting 'gluten free' pizza (usually the crust is higher in protein than normal crusts) if you have to have pizza, diners with breakfast and dinner items...

IHOP and Denny's will usually accommodate me when I ask to swap out the carb options for something a little better for my system. When I was cutting back on gluten, I swapped my pancakes for hash browns or if I was doing a dinner menu, I'd ask for extra steamed vegetables instead of the potato or bread option, etc.

McDonalds and Burger King don't do it (at least in my experience they don't), but some of the more sit-down burger joints (and In and Out) offer a 'protein style' option where they swap buns for lettuce. Alternatively, I just say no buns and sometimes, I offer to buy extra lettuce to wrap my meat and veggies in.

Taco Bell is harder; I just sacrifice the wrap and eat the meat and lettuce or get a taco salad type thing and take care to not eat too much of the shell. It looks rude and ugly, but it works. If you're someone who can tolerate corn (I can to a very specific amount), the hard shell is probably better in terms of carbs than the wheat-based tortilla wrap.

Italian restaurants are the HARDEST because so much of what they offer in typical restaurants is all carb/pasta-based. If I eat Italian, it's a 'cheat' day just because I seldom find something that fits my needs that isn't completely veggies-only (like salads or the soup and salad combos which is usually some vegetable kind!).

It's actually fairly easy to stick to a mostly paleo diet if you eat out; you just have to be conscious of what they put in things and NOT be afraid to ask to change things around.

Before all this GI business, I was very lactose-sensitive so things like cheese was a no-go and I was always asking for things without cheese when my family ate out... ever since I was a child.

Thankfully, I was always something of a meat-eater and veggie-eater so when I got older and ate out on my own, I was always looking for that combo of food choices (well, I also loved potatoes and pasta if I could get it) so when I had to start paring things down, it wasn't too terribly difficult.

Good luck to you!!!
 
V

VilliVagabond

All,

For those living in or around the New York City area, there are some EXCELLENT choices.

1.) Juice Press - Homemade Almond Milk - Raw almonds, coconut water, vanilla extract, sea salt. This company also has a number of juices that are legal, just be sure to read the labels. They add nothing else to their products.

2.) Gustorganics - grass fed beef, everything is marinated in Olive Oil

3.) Whole Foods - open air food: while cooked in Canola Oil, it is legal (as Elaine says, legal but not recommended)

4.) Hu Kitchen - a number of acceptable options. Do your own research, but there is some comfort in knowing that the ingredients are exactly what they say and the food is natural.

5.) Any sushi place serving sahsimi (spelling?)

In my experience, with a restaurant, the battle is not with the actual menu items, but ensuring that nothing else gets added in addition. For example, the restaurant may say:
Filet Mignon, with Broccoli and Carrots (steamed)...a perfectly legal SCD meal. However, when you inquire further, they reveal that the steak is marinated in an sauce containing illegals, or the veggies are cooked in a starch base, for example.

Diligence is key. And luckily, if you have the blessing of living in a big city, you can build relationships with restaurant owners, who you trust, who can provide you with consistent meals (and delivery, if you work in a job that requires long hours).
 
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